July 16, The Iran Project – Iran VP for women affairs Masumeh Ebtekar hands Pres. Rouhani’s letter to Malaysian PM; Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan intelligence chiefs discuss Daesh threat; Ex-spox Abbas Amir-Entezam passes away; Putin, Iran’s special envoy Ali Akbar Velayati meet in Moscow; Hezbollah veterans met with Ayatollah Khamenei on victory anniversary; Paris request for US waivers on Iran trade rejected: French finance minister; Kamal Kharrazi attends int’l peace conference in China; Legislation watchdog rejects FATF amendments to Iran’s CTF law; Iran’s heads of three branches meet; Supreme Leader receives President Rouhani and his cabinet and Iran’s Supreme Leader encourages foreign diplomacy boost are among major headlines dominated the country’s media outlets in the past week (July 09–July 15).


 

Politics

Top Israeli security expert warns against war with Iran


Former Israeli deputy national security adviser Eran Etzion has warned Tel Aviv “not to become entangled with Iran directly” as he expressed alarm over frictions between the two sides in Syria.

US Sanctions Iran’s Mahan Tourism Company


The United States has sanctioned Malaysia-based Mahan Travel and Tourism Company for its links to Iran’s airline Mahan Air, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on its website on Monday.

IRGC releases drone footage showing US’ cooperation with ISIS


The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has released a new video captured after hacking into a US central command in the region which sheds further lights on the US indirect cooperation with the ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

Trump to continue with pressure policy if EU gives up on JCPOA


Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Tue. that the Trump’s administration will continue with its pressure policy against EU if the bloc decides to give up on saving the Iran nuclear deal under US pressure.

Iran appoints female foreign minister assistant


A woman has been appointed as the assistant to Iran’s foreign minister, the ministry said.

Iran defense min: Islamic Republic cannot be stopped with sanctions


Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami has said the Islamic Republic of Iran’s progress cannot be stopped because it is enjoying huge human resources and other sources of power.

Iran VP for women affairs hands Pres. Rouhani’s letter to Malaysian PM


Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs Masumeh Ebtekar delivered President Rouhani’s letter regarding Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.

Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan intelligence chiefs discuss Daesh threat


Heads of intelligence services of Iran, Russia, China, and Pakistan attended a meeting in Islamabad to exchange views about measures against the threat of the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group in Afghanistan, a Russian official said.

Iran’s Velayati says mission in Moscow unaffected by Netanyahu’s Russia visit


Ali Akbar Velayati, an international adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution who is in Russia for an official visit, shrugged off the concurrent trip to Russia by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, “Nobody cares about his words.”

Russian president gets message from Iran Leader Ayatollah Khamenei


A senior Iranian official has conveyed a message from Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Moscow.

Ex-spox passes away


Abbas Amir-Entezam, former spokesman and deputy of former prime minister Mehdi Bazargan in 1979, died on Wednesday morning at the age of 86.

NATO’s concern over Iran’s missile program completely unfounded, pointless


Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has dismissed the anti-Iran allegations raised in a statement issued at a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels.

Velayati: Iran consultant presence in Syria, Iraq upon requests


Advisor to the supreme leader for international affairs and special envoy of the President Rouhani to Russia Ali Akbar Velayati announced on Friday that Iran has consultant presence in Syria and Iraq upon requests of legal and independent governments of them.

Leader receives Lebanese Hezbollah war veterans, disabled


A group of Lebanese Hezbollah disabled and injured veterans met and held talks with Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei late on Thursday, ahead of the anniversary of 33-day war in Lebanon.

Iran attends int’l peace conference in China


The 7th international peace conference opened in Beijing on Saturday attended by senior officials of various countries inluding Head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations Kamal Kharrazi.

Legislation watchdog rejects FATF amendments to Iran’s CTF law


The spokesman for Iran’s Guardian Council said the body has rejected the parliament’s legislation amending Iran’s Counter Terrorist Finance law in accordance with standards set by the global anti-money laundering body, Financial Action Task Force.

Nuclear deal remains diplomatic triumph despite US exit: Iran FM


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says a historic nuclear agreement Tehran signed with the P5+1 group of countries in 2015 is still a “triumph of multilateral diplomacy” even after the US pullout from the agreement.

 

Economy



US calls on Germany to block Iran’s request to return $350 mn


The US ambassador to Germany has urged Berlin to deny Iran’s request to withdraw €300 million ($350 million) from bank accounts held in Germany in the lead-up to imposition of Washington’s new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Russia ready to invest up to $50bn in Iran’s oil sector


Oil cooperation between and Russia can be boosted to some $50 billion and Moscow has expressed readiness to make this investment, said Iranian Leader’s senior adviser Ali Akbar Velayati on Thursday.

US to impose sanctions on all Iranian oil importers: Mnuchin


US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that US intends to use sanctions against China, Russia, EU and other countries which import Iranian oil, sputnik reported on Wednesday.

Nobakht: ‘Iran will successfully overcome challenge of new sanctions’


Head of Plan and Budget Organization Mohammad-Bagher Nobakht said that the country can overcome sanctions successfully due to its high capabilities and potentials.

Iran says will strive to ensure oil supplies to India


Iran will do its best to ensure security of oil supply to India by offering “flexible measures” to boost bilateral trade, a statement from Tehran’s embassy in New Delhi said.

 

Regional Affairs



Rebuilding Syria after foreign-backed war remains ‘top priority,’ Assad says


Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says his top priority is the reconstruction of his country, which has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.

Deported by Germany, Afghan asylum-seeker commits suicide


The German Interior Ministry says one of 69 Afghan refugees it deported last week has committed suicide on the way back home.

Two people dead in protests over economic conditions in S Iraq


At least two people have lost their lives and more than a dozen others sustained injuries in protests over dire economic conditions in southern Iraq as hundreds of other protesters stormed the airport of the holy city of Najaf and disrupted air traffic temporarily.

Iran suspends flights to Iraq’s Najaf amid protests


Iran on Saturday suspended flights to Iraq’s southern city of Najaf amid Iraqi protests over unemployment and lack of basic services.

Israeli airstrikes continue on Gaza despite Palestinians announcing ceasefire


Israeli warplanes have continued to bombard the Gaza Strip shortly after Palestinian factions and the Tel Aviv regime agree upon an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement following a day of heavy clashes.

  

Society

Khuzestan chokes as haze from fire in Iraq blankets southwest Iran


Many cities in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, including capital Ahvaz, have been inundated by plumes of smoke from neighboring Iraq, where reed beds of a border lagoon are blazing.




Iranian boy who had football player’s name tagged on his shirt meets his idol


A young Iranian boy who became an internet sensation has finally come face-to-face with his idol, Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

Dozens dead after oil tanker collides with passenger bus, bursts into flames


At least 27 people have been killed in the city of Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, after a fuel tanker rammed into a passenger bus and burst into flames.

Tabriz Bazaar world’s largest roofed traditional market


The Grand Bazaar of Tabriz in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz is known as the largest roofed Bazaar in the world and the oldest one in the Middle East.

Iranian weightlifters at crest of 2018 IWF Junior World Championships


The Iran men’s national junior weightlifting team has collected 512.8 points at the 2018 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Junior World Championships in Uzbekistan, and been crowned at the prestigious event.